This isn't the 80's
by IrishAnnie71
Summary: AU multi chapter fic. A modern day version of Simon and Simon. Lots of old and new characters including Rick and AJ 's younger sister Caron.
1. Chapter 1

This isn't the 80's

Author Notes

I've been feeling a little nostalgic lately and been watching Simon and Simon from the beginning. I remember this being my favorite show when I was younger and AJ Simon was my very first actor crush. I still think he is hot!

So I've written an AU modern day version of Simon and Simon. It doesn't really take place in any season but events will be referenced although Janet never left. There are lots of new and old characters. Rick and AJ also have a younger sister called Caron.

Disclaimer:- The Characters of Rick, AJ, Cecelia, Janet Fowler and any other characters from the show Simon and Simon were created by Phillip DeGuere and owned by CBS and Universal Television. I am just borrowing them. All other characters belong to me.

/\\\\\\\

AJ. I don't care. Social Media is a curse to society," Rick lamented to his younger brother who had been eschewing the virtues of getting the detective agency online.

"I'm telling you Rick. It's the way to go. We start with the website, do Facebook, Twitter Instagram, the whole shabang. It will build our profile and we have the potential to reach millions, "replied AJ showing him the report he had been reading. Rick glanced at it and threw it back at the younger man. "How much is that going to cost?"

"It won't cost us anything. Caron said she would run our social media platforms," AJ said glancing at Rick.

"Caron? You talked to Caron about this? She hasn't committed to anything since she graduated a year ago. The girl is 25 and she still has no idea what she wants from life. Remember when she was 18 and wanted to be a circus performer?"

"Remember when you were 25...oh what am saying...course you don't...you were too busy getting drunk," replied AJ.

"All I am saying is that our baby sister is as flaky as they come. She'll get bored and want to go save kittens or something."

AJ sighed. "Well she's going to be at Mom's tonight for dinner so please don't get all worked up before that. Just keep an open mind about getting online. She had some great ideas."

"I get it. She talked to you first so you could try and convince me..."

"Because if she had asked you first you'd have said no without considering it," replied AJ.

/\\\\\

"Mom. I know I am moving back to San Diego but I really need to find my own way you know?" Caron Simon smiled at her mom as she set the table for dinner. Caroline Simon otherwise known as Caron was beautiful. She had long brown hair and blue/green eyes. She always reminded Cecelia of herself when she was younger. She was outgoing, vivacious and had that strong sense of honour she had instilled in her 3 children. Her husband Jack had died in a car accident 2 weeks after Caron's 2nd Birthday. She had thought that her family was complete with her two precious boys but 8 years after AJ was born they were surprised when Caron came along. Rick and AJ adored their little sister and Rick took on the role of protector of both Aj and Caron until he joined the Marines. When Caron needed to talk she always went to AJ but when she was in trouble she turned to Rick.

Cecelia smiled at her youngest child. "I know sweetheart but I would much rather you stayed with me while you looked for a job."

"I have an apartment by the beach Mom. And I have a job interview tomorrow , " replied Caron.

"I heard my baby sister is back in town," Rick said coming into his mom's house followed by AJ.

"Hey big bro," Caron said giving Rick a hug.

"What the hell are you wearing?" He said taking in the leather mini skirt, low cut skimpy top and black knee high boots. "You should cover up. You 'll catch your death in that outfit. Here, put this on." Rick grabbed his mom's sweater from the chair and handed it to her. Caron sighed but put the sweater on. "Rick!"

"That's better. You look somewhat decent now. And at least you went back to your natural hair colour. That blue color looked ridiculous!"

Caron rolled her eyes as she hugged AJ. "Did you talk to him?" She whispered to him. AJ nodded. "We'll talk about it later."

" So you're moving back to San Diego, " Rick said to Caron as Cecilia dished up Apple Pie for dessert.

"Yes I am. Minnesota winters are too cold. Minnesota Summers are too cold. You can't find one decent guy there. They all wear cowboy hats and have pick up trucks who think a good night out is line dancing at the local dive," replied Caron.

AJ sniggered as Rick glared at his sister. "There's nothing wrong with cowboy hats!" exclaimed Rick. "Or pick up trucks for that matter."

Caron sighed and then smirked at him. "I know Rick. At least in San Diego the winters are warm and the summers are hot and so are the men!"

"What are you going to do about a job sis? " Rick asked.

She looked at AJ and then back at Rick. "I was hoping..."

"AJ said something about you setting up our Social media platforms. I'm not sure we want to go in that direction."

"Oh," replied Caron in disappointment.

"I think it's a great idea," Cecelia said. "All the best detective agencies in San Diego are going online."

"Janet told me that Myron is going online," Caron said.

Rick let out a snort. "Myron is a dinosaur. He won't be able to manage it all."

"He hired a social media guru apparently," replied AJ smiling at his sister.

"He's got money to burn then."

"Come on Rick. I want to work with you guys," Caron said smiling at her brother. 'I figured out what I want to do. "

"And what's that sis?" Rick asked .

"I want to be a private detective," grinned Caron.

Rick snorted. "Absolutely not!"

"Why not? "

"Because it's too dangerous Caron. And you're not trained. You know how long it took me to train him? " Rick said pointing at AJ.

"I think you will find that it was me who trained you, brother," exclaimed AJ.

"And this is just like another one of your wild ideas. Like the time you joined the circus to be an acrobat."

"Ariel Performance Artist actually . And I was quite good at it!"

"That may be sis but I am still not going to train you to be a private detective."

" Fine. I'll go to Peerless. I have an interview there tomorrow. And Myron has an excellent detective training progm as AJ knows, " smirked Caron.

"You have an interview with Myron?"

" Yep, "replied Caron.

""Well if you want to work at Peerless that's fine," replied Rick in a sarcastic tone.

"Yeah but Rick I would much rather work with my two big brothers. They are the best investigators I know ,"

"Caroline. We're Simon and Simon. Not Simon, Simon and Simon,"

"We could be The Simons, " grinned Caron.

"That sounds like we're a cartoon show like The Simpsons," replied Rick rolling his eyes.

"I heard you don't miss an episode," replied Caron.

Rick glanced at AJ who shrugged. "Ok this is the deal. You can set us up online. Whatever that entails. You run it all. I don't want to know about it except that it's generating business. If you are going to be at the office then you answer the phone . You will be the first point of contact. And then we will make the decision to train you as an investigator. "

Caron 's eyes lit up as she looked from her mom to her brothers. "Really?"

Rick nodded and smiled at her. "Really."

"What about pay? "

"You wanna get paid too?"

"Yeah!"

" $10 an hour. "

Caron scoffed. "That's barely minimum wage. $15 an hour!"

"Are you trying to break me? $12 an hour and you dress appropriately for the office. You come in at 9 and leave at 5. You take a 30 minute lunch break."

" $13.5O, a clothing allowance and 1 hour lunch break. "

"A clothing allowance?"

"If you want me to dress appropriately then yes,"

"$12.50 an hour, a one time $150 clothing allowance and an hour for lunch. That's my final offer."

Caron sucked in a breath as she glanced at AJ and Cecelia. They both nodded. "It's a deal."

"That's a deal. You start tomorrow..." Anything Rick said after that was muffled as Caron launched into him with a squeal of delight and a big hug.

"You won't regret this," she said.

"I think I already have!" came Rick's muffled reply.

/\\\\\

"We have that meeting with Pittman Insurance at 12," AJ told Rick as they strolled through the courtyard beside their office the next morning. He glanced at his cellphone.

"Right. You think Caron really wants to be a private detective? Or is this just another one of her fanciful ideas."

"I think we should take her seriously if she does because she's not going to be happy just answering the phone all day long and updating the website," replied AJ.

"I know. That's what I'm worried about. I don't want her getting into danger," replied Rick.

"But you have no problem putting me into danger,"

"You're a big boy AJ. You can handle it!"

The sound of a motor bike engine roared behind them and they turned to see a leather clad woman getting off the back. She removed her two were stunned to see that it was Caron. They watched as she gave the biker a passionate kiss on the lips.

"So who's that?" Rick asked when the biker rode away.

"My roommate, " she replied.

"Do you always kiss your roommates like that?" AJ asked as they entered the office.

"I was thanking him for the ride," Caron said.

"I bet you were," scoffed Rick. He looked at her attire. "And I hardly think what you are wearing..."

"Oh hush up Rick. You sound like an old man. "

AJ snorted with laughter. "That's because he is an old man Sis!"

Caron giggled and took her laptop out of the bag she was carrying. She glanced around the office. As usual AJ's desk was as neat as a pin while Rick's desk had a stack of files and papers piled high. "Where will I set up?"

"You can have my desk honey," replied AJ taking some files from the cabinet and sitting down on the couch. She sat down and opened up her laptop. "What's your wi fi code?" she asked after several minutes.

"Wifi?" Rick asked. "I don't think we have wifi. "

"Yes we do. God Rick you are such a dinosaur!" replied AJ with a smirk. "Wifi code is Simon AJ."

"I don't know how you get around Rick. You don't even have a cellphone. This isn't the 80's you know," Caron teased her older brother.

"Cellphones are over rated. You know they can fry your brain? And everyone seems to have their head stuck in them. You can't walk down the street without bumping into someone with a cellphone in their hand. It's killed the art of conversation... "

AJ and Caron glanced at each other and rolled their eyes as Rick went on his usual rant about cellphones. A couple of hours later Caron looked up from her laptop. AJ was filling in paperwork and Rick had his feet up on the desk with his hat over his eyes. "The website is done. The domain gives up to 5 email addresses so I suggest you both have one and you can also have an info address for queries and stuff. "

"The website is done?" AJ asked excitedly.

"Yep. The bare bones of it anyway. But welcome to ." She turned her laptop around to show her brothers.

Rick snuck a glance of it from behind his cowboy hat while AJ studied the site with interest. "That's the most beautiful website I've ever seen!"

"I just need to tweak it and put in some testimonials and then it is will be ready to go live. And then I will set up the Facebook and Twitter account," replied Caron.

"Sounds good! We have that meeting with Pittman Insurance in about 25 minutes Rick. We better get going." AJ said hitting one of Rick's cowboy boots. Rick jumped up and Caron watched as the two left the office.

to be continued


	2. Chapter 2

"So you think this is insurance fraud?" AJ asked the CEO of Pittman Insurance, Georgina Stephens. She was an attractive brunette in her 30's.

"I believe it is," replied Georgina." We have a number of these cases which I want you both to check out. The first was Albert Harrison who was killed in a car accident 4 years ago. His widow got a hefty insurance pay out. A few weeks ago the widow was seen down in Mexico with someone who looked very much like Mr Harrison."

"Do you have a photo?" asked AJ..

Georgina handed him the file and he flicked through it.

"So how many of these cases are you concerned about?" Rick asked.

"25 that I've come across so far. All signed by the same underwriter," replied Georgina.

"So how come you have come to us? " AJ asked. "You have your own insurance investigators."

She nodded. "I do but these are high profile cases and I'm not sure if my investigators are in on it. And you guys are supposed to be the best I heard."

"We are the best and we get results," replied Rick.

"Good and I need to let you know. This is completely confidential," Georgina said.

"That's our middle name," replied AJ with a smile.

"Actually your middle name is Jackson," Rick said with a snort.

AJ glared at Rick. "You have a point there. Georgina. We will investigate this with complete discretion. You have our word on that." He gave her his most winning smile. Georgina flushed slightly as she returned the smile.

"We'll give you daily updates on the investigation and a completion report when the investigation is finished," continued Rick rolling his eyes when he saw the looks his brother and Georgina were giving each other. "We will need to take the files though."

"That's fine. You have the authority to do whatever is necessary," she replied.

"The first thing Rick and I will do is come up with a plan. Don't worry. We'll get the bad guys," AJ said standing up. He picked up the files and handed them to Rick. He handed Georgina his business card and put his hand on her arm. "I can be reached day or night if you need to call to see how the case is going. And this is my private cell phone number." He wrote the number on the back of the business card.

Rick rolled his eyes again.

/\\\\\

"Since when do you give your private cell phone number out to clients," Rick asked as they both entered the elevator to their office.

"She's a client Rick. Sometimes they need that extra personal touch," replied AJ.

Rick nodded. "Extra personal touch eh? Uhuh..."

AJ ignored him as they both entered the office. Caron looked up from the laptop screen. "Good your both back," she said. " Twitter account is up and ready. Did you want to tweet anything particular for your first tweet? Rick, Shelly called. She wanted to know if you were going to return the favor. Whatever favor that was she sounded pretty angry. "

"What did you do to Shelly?" AJ asked with amusement.

"Ah nothing," replied Rick. "Where there any other calls?"

"Mom called to see how I was getting on. She's on Twitter too you know. So is Janet. She said she would follow us ," replied Caron.

"Mom's on Twitter?" AJ asked.

" Yep. She said she would retweet for us, " replied Caron. " How did your meeting go? "

"What's a retweet?" asked Rick sitting down at his desk.

"It's when you tweet something and someone else shares that tweet to their followers," replied AJ. He looked at Caron. "Right?"

"Yep right, " she replied smiling at her brother. "So what do you want your first tweet to be?"

"How about "Simon and Simon. Confidential Investigations". " replied AJ

"You know it's all about networking and building up a rapport with your followers so it can't be all business related, " Caron said.

Rick let out a big yawn. "We do have a case to investigate you know AJ."

"#grumpydinosaur," replied Caron with a smirk.

"#wehaveacasetoinvestigate," replied Rick.

"You know about hashtags?" AJ asked in surprise.

"Course I know about hashtags. I'm not a complete idiot!" exclaimed Rick.

"#Couldvefooledme," muttered Caron under her breath.

Rick ignored the sniggers coming from his two youngest siblings. "We need to go through these files one by one and see if there is a correlation."

"Ok I sent our first tweet. What's the case?"

"Insurance fraud. The CEO thinks their clients are faking their own deaths and that one of the underwriters is involved," explained AJ taking one of the files from the box to look at it.

Caron took a couple of files out too and began to read them. "This is bizarre. "

"What's that Sis?" Rick asked.

"This client here Marilyn Greenfield. 30 years old. Her husband is nearly 70. He's wealthy and has a heart condition. He could drop dead any moment. She stands to get $20 million if he dies from natural causes." She picked up another file "This one Sandra Panetta 36. Stands to get $30 million if her husband dies. He's also wealthy and older than her."

"Same story with this one here," AJ indicating the file in his hand.

"So we have at least 4 cases. Georgina suspected there was 25. All the same MO. They all have the same underwriter..." mused Rick.

"You think what I am thinking?" AJ asked.

"That you both are going undercover to flush out the bad guy," replied Caron.

"Yeah that's right," replied AJ. "How do you know that? " Rick asked at the same time as AJ.

"Because I've seen how you two work. You both put on silly disguises that anyone can see through..."

"Silly disguises? We happen to very proud of our undercover work I have you know! " exclaimed Rick indignantly.

"Granted some of our disguises could do a little updating, " AJ said ignoring the look that Rick gave him. "What do you suggest Caroline?"

Caron pointed at the file she had left down on the table. "This one. "

"What about it?" Rick asked leaning over to pick it up.

"Kendall Harrell. 26 years old. Married to an oil magnet. Not yet dead yet. Stands to inherit $55 million on her husband's death, " replied Caron.

AJ glanced at his sister and then at Rick. "As silly as you think our disguises are he doesn't have the legs to impersonate a woman. They're too hairy. " He shook his head as if to dispel the image.

"I have you know I have a great pair of legs! Just put me in a pair of high heels. I can pull it off! " exclaimed Rick with a little indignation.

"How do you explain the moustache though?" Caron asked looking a little puzzled.

"Hormone problem,"replied Rick.

" I don't think this is going to work this time, " Caron said looking at both of her brothers.

"What do you suggest then little sis? " AJ asked.

"This Kendall, she's 26. From this photo she looks to be my height... Caron started to say only to be interrupted by Rick. "No way. You are not trained for undercover work. It's too dangerous!"

"It's hardly dangerous Rick. It's just impersonating someone to get information ," replied Caron.

"Absolutely not!"

/\\\\\

"Are you sure about this Caroline?" AJ asked for about the hundredth time.

"I'll be fine'" replied Caron as Rick affixed a listening device and camera onto her black dress. It was in the form of a silver star brooch. Caron had on a black hat which was covered with black netting which went over her face.

"I can't believe you talked me into doing this, "Rick said for what seemed the hundredth time as well.

"Relax you two. It's a quick in and out. And Rick will be with me, " Caron said not wanting to show how nervous she was in front of her brothers.

"Ok. That's you wired up. AJ will be on the other end and I'll be with you, " Rick said again.

"If you feel you can't handle it just get out. We won't fault you if you can't do it... " AJ started to say but was interrupted by his sister. "Guys! I'll be fine!"

She got out of the Power Wagon and started to walk away.

"Hey wait up," Rick called as he jumped out of the pick up. He was wearing his cowboy hat with a beige suit and black bow tie.

"Ok Caroline. When you get in there make sure you give me a visual on the exits, office layt," AJ said into the microphone .

She nodded when she heard his voice over the earpiece. Rick opened the door for her as they both approached the reception desk. The receptionist looked up from her computer when she saw the two.

"Hi. I'm Kendall Harrell," Caron said in a southern accent. I've an appointment with...oh excuse me... " She searched in her purse and pulled out a bundle of papers. "Oh it's here somewhere..." The receptionist looked bored as Caron emptied her entire purse on the desk.

"You'll have to excuse my little sister. Her husband passed away," Rick said with a drawl. "Darlin' we were meeting with Ms Hopland."

" Hopland! Yes we have a meeting with Doris Hopland, " Caron sighed dabbing her eyes with a tissue. She sniffed loudly. "My husband. My sweet lovely elderly husband died." She let out a loud sob and turned her head face into Rick's jacket.

"There there Kendall, " Rick said soothingly patting her back. "Please tell Ms Hopland that we are here."

Caron let out another loud sob as they walked over to the waiting area.

/\\\\\

"My poor husband. Cut down in the prime of his life," she sniffed as they sat down in front of the Insurance agent. Doris Hopland was a small woman in her late 40's. Her black hair was tied back in a severe bun at the back of her

" Honey, he was 80 years old with a heart condition, " replied Rick.

"Yes. And he was so good in the sack, " replied Caron turning to Doris who had a look of shock on her face. "He was so virile. We just did it at every opportunity. You don't think that's what killed him do you? Would that affect the Insurance?"

Doris cleared her throat before speaking. "No. I don't think it will Mrs Harrell. But I will need to run this by my manager first before we can issue a check."

"is there any reason why you need to do that first?" asked Rick.

"It's procedure. It's quite a big policy your husband had and we just have to go through a few things first. It's procedure."

"And how long does this...procedure take? " Rick asked.

"A week to 10 days..."

" 10 days! Is there any way you could speed that up? " Caron asked.

"I'll see what we can do," replied Doris standing up. Rick and Caron stood up as well. "I'll be in touch. "

"Thank you. You've been so kind...this has been an awful time... " Caron said with another loud sob. She reached out and took Doris by the hand and shook it. "Thank you so much."

Doris watched as Rick led Caron out the door as she enjoyed sniffed loudly. Doris didn't realize that Caron had planted a bug on her underside of her desk.

"Great work," Rick said to her as they made their way to the Power Wagon.

"You really have a knack for this," AJ said when they got in.

"That was so much fun! " exclaimed Caron excitedly.

"It's work sis," replied Rick. He looked at AJ. "Have you got anything yet?"

" No. Not yet. We're gonna have to wait till end of business before we go in, " AJ said adjusting the screen on the laptop. "Perfect picture." They watched the comings and goings of the office building.

"Caroline. This is the boring part of being an investigator. Surveillance. You could be sitting for hours waiting for something to happen... "AJ said as he peered through a pair in of binoculars.

"Sometimes you could be busting for a pee, starving and too tired to keep your eyes open... "continued Rick.

"Oh look at that the SFPD retweeted us, " Caron exclaimed looking at her cellphone "So did Janet."

"Put that thing away! " "Janet retweeted? " Rick and AJ spoke at the same time. Rick glared at his blond brother.

"What?" asked AJ ignoring the look he got from Rick. "Did she say anything?"

"She just said to say hi, " replied Caron. AJ gave her a small smile but turned his attention to the laptop.

"Anything from Hopland?" Rick asked.

"No. She made a couple of phone calls but nothing about Harrell," replied AJ. "She left wbout 5 minutes ago saying something going to see her mother. "

"She might have emailed which means we need to get a look at her computer, "'Caron said.

"Only thing about that is there is a security guard patrolling the building. We're gonna need a distraction, " mused Rick.

"Rent a plant might work," AJ said. " or send in Ernie. "

"I don't think either are going to work this time, " replied Rick.

"This might work," Caron said as she unbuttoned the buttons of her black dress.

Her two brothers eyes grew wide as she fixed herself so that she was showing some cleavage "What are you doing?" asked Rick as she got out of the Power Wagon.

She looked back at them and smiled. "Creating a distraction."

They watched as she sashayed across the parking lot. "That's certainly a distraction ," Rick said.

" Rick. I know how reluctant you are to train her as an investigator. But you gotta admit. She has good instincts, " AJ said as they both watched as the security guard made a beeline for the dark haired woman.

"Maybe...ok...that's our cue..." Rick said as Caron got into the patrol car.

/\\\\\

Rick and AJ sat at Doris 's desk going through all her files.

"There's nothing here to indicate she's involved," AJ said stifling a yawn.

"It's probably on the computer...on the cloud..." replied Rick.

AJ looked at him with amusement. "How do you know about the cloud?"

"Little Brother. I know a bit about clouds. ..and not the ones that bring rain to San Diego! "

"I'm surprised that's all...after all it was only last year that you learned about email," teased AJ. He turned on the computer but let out a sigh. "Dammit. It needs a password."

Before Rick could say anything a loud noise that sounded like something falling over reverberated in the corridor outside. The two men glanced at one another and drew their guns. They moved stealthily across the floor and took up positions on either side of the closed door. They made eye contact and nodded at each other.

The door opened and Rick grabbed the person from behind who squealed in surprise. AJ pointed his gun and torch at the individual. "Caroline!" he exclaimed in surprise.

/\\\\\

"You guys frightened the life out of me! " exclaimed Caron as she rubbed her arm.

"I thought you were going to wait in the Power Wagon after your rendezvous with he security guard," Rick said..

"I thought you might need me here Did you find anything?"

"No hard copies and we can't get into laptop. Needs a password. " AJ showed her the laptop.

"Move over," she said pushing AJ off the chair. She tapped on the keyboard and after a minute or two she looked up and said "Bingo."

"You got in? " Rick asked moving over to look at the laptop.

"Hacked in," she replied glancing quickly at her two brothers

"Hacked in? Where did you learn how to do that? " Aj asked.

"Oh...Minneapolis..." Caron said. "We can download some of these files."

"I thought you were a waitress in Minneapolis... "AJ started to say getting the feeling that his sister wasn't being totally honest with him.

"Tips AJ... " Caron said smiling at her brother. "There must be a memory card in here somewhere." She rummaged about in the desk drawers. She glanced quickly at her brothers but they were now engrossed in the information on the laptop. "Here's one."

"How long will this take to download? "Rick asked as they started to download the files.

"About 15 minutes or so, " replied Caron.

The two men had moved over to the window and kept watch on the parking lot.

"Any chance you can hurry that up?" AJ asked as he noticed that the security patrol car had driven in.

"Afraid not," replied Caron.

"In about 7 minutes that security guard will be on this floor," Rick said as he looked at his watch.

"You two go. There's no point in all 3 of us going to jail! " Caron said tapping on the keyboard trying to hurry up the file transfer.

"No way!" "Absolutely not! " the other two said together.

"Just go. I can handle this! "

Rick and AJ glance at each other. "Ok. Be careful!" Rick said as he and AJ quietly left the room. AJ looked back at her as she sat at the desk. "Meet us back at the Power Wagon when you are done"

She nodded and looked at her watch. 10 minutes left to download. 4 minutes before the security guard came in.

7 minutes. 3 minutes.

2 minutes. 45 seconds.

"Come on!" she muttered.

She heard a creek in the floorboards outside the room. 1 second left to download. The door opened.

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

Author Note

Sorry about the delay in this chapter. Life has a way of keeping you distracted.

Chapter 3

A light bounced around the room taking in all the surfaces and reflecting off the chrome surface of the chairs. The security guard peered through the door and then checked his watch. He had another 5 minutes before he could go back to the security office but it was a quiet night and he figured he could return to it now. He might actually get a chance to watch the next season of The Crown if he had a chance. He took another quick look and closed he door.

Under the table Caron let out the breath she had been holding. She had the laptop and the memory card held tightly to her chest. Once she knew that the security guard was out of range she crawled out from under the table.

/\\\

"This is taking way too long, " AJ said as he and Rick sat waiting in the Power Wagon.

"Give her another 5 minutes. If she's not out we go back in," replied his brother as he checked his gun.

"Another 5 minutes and we might have to bail her out of jail! " exclaimed AJ. "I knew we shouldn't have brought her along."

"You were the one who was all gung ho about training her to be an investigator AJ, " Rick said.

AJ let out a sigh. "I know. Maybe she's not ready."

"We can talk about it in the morning."

AJ looked at his watch. "I'm going in. It's been too long." He started to get out of the truck when a banging on the side of it startled both of them. Quickly drawing their guns they silently got out of the truck and moved stealthily along each side. With every reflex on edge they pulled down the tail gate. "Don't move!"

"It's me! " exclaimed Caron holding her hands up.

"What the hell do you think you are doing!" AJ asked through gritted teeth. "We could have killed you!" He grabbed her arm and brought her around to the front of the truck.

"I sent a text to your phone," replied Caron pushing his hand off her arm. "Ow!"

"AJ. Take it easy, " Rick said.

"My phone is on silent. I told you that before we went in, " replied AJ.

"No you didn't!" She exclaimed . "I have the memory card."

AJ grabbed it off her and pushed her to the Power Wagon. "We'll talk about this tomorrow."

Caron pursed her lips together and was about to say something but the angry look on her brother's face stopped her. Rick gave her a half smile as he started the engine.

/\\\\\

The atmosphere in the Simon and Simon office the next morning was tense. AJ was still angry with Caron but hadn't spoken to her. She sat quietly at her laptop waiting for him to explode at her. Rick was trying to lighten the atmosphere by telling some silly stories about Carlos going to Tijuana and getting busted by an angry husband. AJ glared at him as he went through the files from the memory card.

"Ok. We need to go and see Albert Harrison's widow," he eventually said to Rick. His brother nodded and got up from his desk. They both walked towards the door.

Caron looked up. "That's the one who was seen in Mexico." She shut the laptop and started to stand up.

Her blond brother looked at her. "NO! You stay here! " he pointed at the desk to emphasise his point. Caron opened her mouth to say something but again she shut it to avoid getting into an argument with him. Rick looked back at her as he and AJ left the office.

"You were a little harsh with her don't you think?" Rick said as they walked to the red Camero

"Rick. She almost blew it last night. You of all people were the one totally against her coming along. "

"All I am saying is that, yes she is a bit green but she has the makings of a good investigator. "

AJ glanced at him. "You certainly changed your tune."

Rick let out a long sigh. "Well you are going to be the one to tell her."

"I will," replied AJ with a sigh.

The remainder of the car journey to Chula Vista was in silence broken every now and again by Rick asking questions about the woman they were going to see and AJ giving him one word answers.

/\\\\\

They walked up the garden path of the mansion where the woman lived. Every sense was on alert for both men. Rick scanned the area and AJ took in the well manicured lawn and trees.

"Certainly looks well cared for, "mused AJ as Rick rang he doorbell.

"Sure does, " replied his brother.

The door was answered by a dark haired woman in her 30's.

"Deborah Harrison? I'm AJ Simon and this is my brother Rick. We 're private investigators. We'd like to ask you a couple of questions if you have the time? " AJ showed her his PI identification. The woman let out a long sigh but let them in.

"Georgina sent you I presume. That woman is like a dog with a bone. She just won't let it go!"

"She has concerns in relation to your life insurance claim..." AJ started to say before being interrupted by the woman.

"Yes Yes I know. But the man I was seen in Mexico wasn't my dead husband."

"Then who was it? " Rick asked.

"It was my husband's identical twin brother. I told Georgina all of this," sighed Mrs Harrison.

The two brothers glanced at each other. "I am presuming you have proof of this?" asked AJ.

"Like what?" the woman asked.

"Birth Cert, Death Cert. DNA samples which would prove this. There was nothing in your insurance application that would indicate a sibling, " Rick said as he looked through the report that Georgina had given them.

Deborah stood up and walked over to the sideboard. She opened up a drawer and pulled out a stack of photo albums and handed them to AJ. "Old family photos of my husband and his brother."

He opened the photo album and leafed through the old black and white photos. . He came to one of Deborah on her wedding day. Two identical looking men stood either side of her.

"I went on vacation to Mexico with my husband's brother Steve. We got close after he died..."

"So you and Steve?" queried Rick.

"We're together now, " replied Deborah.

"Ohh, " AJ said.

"We're sorry to have wasted your time, " Rick said standing up. AJ looked at him with curiosity and smiled at the woman in front of them.

"If you have any further information please do not hesitate to call us, " he said handing her his business card.

/\\\\\\\

"What do you think?" Rick asked once they were back in the Camaro.

"I don't know. Something isn't sitting right with me," replied AJ with a frown.

"Me neither. Swing by Town and see if he'll run a background check. "

"Ok," replied AJ taking the turn off for the San Diego Police Department.

/\\\\\

"I'll see what I can do, " Downtown Brown said to the brothers after they explained what they needed.

"Thanks Town. We owe you one!" Rick said.

Town sat back in his chair and stared in amusement at the two men. "You owe me more than. You owe me..."

"Yeah we know Town," grinned Rick opening the office door.

"Hold on a minute. I need another favour, " smiled AJ as he sat down in the chair in front of the lieutenant 's desk. He looked over at Rick. "It's personal."

His brother nodded as he opened the office door. "Carlos has a deal going with the Playa Mar shooting range. Shoot 5 bullseyes, get a 6th free. Gonna head over and practice."

AJ stared at him as if he were mad. "You can't even shoot in a straight line!"

"Better shot than you are little brother, " smirked Rick as he left the office.

Tow sniggered but stopped when he saw the look of annoyance on the other man's face "What is it AJ?"

"Who do you know in the Minneapolis Police Department? "

"There was a detective that transferred from here last year," replied Town. "Why?"

"It's Caroline, " sighed AJ.

"Ahh I heard she was back in town. Still a handful is she? Does she still have blue hair?" chuckled Town.

"Don't you know it. Her latest idea is that she wants to become a private investigator and join the business."

"Ok," replied Town. "So why the interest in Minneapolis? "

"Do you remember when she was here last year? "

Town grinned. "Yeah. That time I ended up naked on a speedboat with her driving it! "

"That was an image I had to erase from memory!" AJ said closing his eyes and shaking his head as if to block out the memory.

"Apart from that I remember she was adamant that she wasn't coming back to San Diego because she loved it too much in Minneapolis."

"Yeah. Anytime I've asked her about it since she 's been back she doesn't want to talk about it. Changes the subject every time, " replied AJ. "I'm concerned that something happened."

"Ok. I'll give the Minneapolis PD a call. If anything comes up I 'll let you know. "

AJ got to his feet. "Thanks Town."

/\\\\\\\

AJ's cell phone rang as he was driving back to the office. It was the detective from Minneapolis. His brow furrowed as he spoke to the other man.

"Thanks for your help Pete." He sighed as he hung up the call.

Caron looked up from the computer screen when he arrived back in the office. "Hi! "

He smiled at her. "Hey."

"Three calls all requiring your services," she said handing him the slips of paper.

"Thanks sis, " he replied. He bit on his lower lip as he considered what to say next. "Caroline, we need to talk. "

"If this is what happened last..."

"It is and isn't. Sit down here," he said indicating the old brown leather couch.

She exhaled slowly as she sat down beside him.

"I know... what happened in Minneapolis," he began.

She flushed as she lowered her head. "How?"

"Detective Morales. "

"Oh."

"Why didn't you tell us? " he asked turning to face her.

She was silent for a moment. "Because I was embarrassed. I... made a mistake."

"You should have told us," he replied. "We would have helped you."

"I'm sorry, " she sniffed. "Do Mom and Rick know?"

AJ shook his head. "No."

"Are you going tell them?" she asked.

" No, " he replied. He took her hand and squeezed it."You are. "

She let out a sigh . "I can't tell them. Mom will be disappointed in me. Rick will get up on his high horse. "

He brought her closer to him and she leaned her head on his shoulder as her eyes began to fill with tears.

"It'll be alright, " AJ said softly stroking her hair. He considered what he was going to say next. "We need to talk about what happened last and I don't think you are ready to be a private investigator yet. "

She glanced at him. "But AJ!"

He got up and walked over to his desk. She stood up and followed him. "You said you would train me!"

He dropped his head and put his hands on his hips. "I know Caroline. But being a Private Investigator requires discipline. Something you didn't exhibit yesterday. You put yourself in real danger..."

"But doesn't discipline come with experience?" Caron tried to plead her case.

"It does sweetie, but you couldn't even do what Rick or I asked you to do. You went in there all gung ho..."

"But AJ!"

He was silent for a moment. "You are welcome to continue working here on phones and running the social media platforms. But for the time being we won't be letting you out in the field."

/\\\\\

"Mind if I come in?" Town stood at the door of the Simon and Simon office later that day. Caron looked up from her computer screen with a big grin. "Muffin!"

"Pookie!" smiled Town as Caron jumped up from her seat to give the man a hug.

Rick and AJ gave each other puzzled looks at the exchange mouthing Muffin and Pookie to each other. "What brings you down here Town?" AJ asked.

"Deborah Harrison has priors for shop lifting...credit card fraud... " Town handed Rick the file he had in his hand. The older Simon flipped through the file and handed it over to AJ.

"She was a minor when she committed those crimes. Placed in care for two years," AJ read as he placed the file down on his desk.

"One another thing. Stephen Harrison was convicted of assault and battery and placed in the same care home, " Town said handing them another file.

AJ leaned forward in his chair. "They knew each other before she married his brother?"

"Looks like it, " replied Town.

"What if they were involved with each other back then?" Caron said.

"Deborah never said anything about that. She just said they got close after her husband died," Rick said.

"Maybe she was lying?" replied Caron.

"What was the coroner's ruling on Albert Harrison's death?" AJ asked.

"I haven't got those records, " replied Town. "We'll need a court order to get them. "

"Maybe we can get Janet to get that for us," replied AJ picking up his cellphone.

"Maybe we don't need to, " Caron said typing on her laptop. "I can hack the Coroner's... "

"If you're going to do anything illegal Pookie then I can't be here," Town said rolling his eyes. He made his way over to the door. "If you come up with anything give me a call. "

"He's such a wuss," AJ said with a grin as Town went out the door .

"I heard that!" shouted Town from outside the door.

"You get anything yet sis?" Rick asked as he got to his feet and sat on the edge of Caron's desk.

"Nearly there, " replied Caron as she gained access to the Coroner's reports. " Ok. I'm in. Just printing out the report now. "

AJ picked up the pages as they came out of the printer. "This is interesting. Toxicology report says he was 4 times over the legal limit for alcohol. Plus there was narcotics in his system... "

"I thought he died of a heart attack," Rick said.

"Heart Attack caused by the drugs and alcohol," replied AJ handing his brother the report.

"He was a recovering alcoholic according to the insurance company, " replied Caron picking up the insurance company file. "His medical report said that he had been clean for 10 years. He got a clean bill of health. Drug test was negative. He had a medical the week before he died. "

"Maybe he relapsed, "mused AJ.

"Maybe, " replied Rick.

"Or maybe he was murdered!" exclaimed Caron.

"That's a bit far fetched Caroline!" Rick said shaking his head.

"Maybe not, " AJ said getting to his feet. "Think about it. Deborah meets Stephen in Juvie. He was the black sheep of the family... "

"Albert 's company was taking off. He made $1 million in his first year of business. Which was founded the same time Stephen was in care..." Caron continued.

"What if Deborah and Stephen planned it? Albert wouldn't give Stephen a job. Deborah starts dating him but having an affair with Stephen. Albert takes out an insurance policy after he and Deborah marry... "

"The insurance policy was for $30 million to be paid out on his death. Deborah benefits from it. Goes public about her relationship with Stephen after an acceptable period of time..."

"He gets the money, " Rick said looking between his two younger siblings. "It's certainly plausible."

"Question is how do we prove it? " asked AJ. "This is just our theory. We need undeniable proof that it happened that way."

"You could ask her," Caron said.

The two stared at her for a moment. "How would that go Caroline?" Rick said with a scoff .

"Hold on. That's not a bad idea!" AJ said leaning back in his chair with a thoughtful look on his face.

Rick glanced at him and knew that when his younger brother had an idea it would always be a good one. "What ya got little brother?"

"We need a way in," replied AJ.

"How are we gonna do that AJ? She's already seen us," Rick said sitting back down at his desk and putting his cowboy boots on it.

"We could ask Janet to help," Caron said. "Deborah is a member of the country club gym. We can get Janet in as a member. "

"Deborah isn't going to open up to a total stranger and we don't have that kind of time. Janet wouldn't do it anyway," replied AJ.

"She would...if you asked her," Caron said turning to look at AJ.

Her brother shook his head. "She wouldn't do it even if I did ask her. Our book of favours ran out a while back. And I'm not going to use our history to get ask her to something she's not going to do. "

"What if I asked her?" Caron said.

"You can ask sis but I know her, " replied AJ.

"Maybe we don't need to ask her," Rick said taking his feet off the desk. He leaned over and picked up a file from the floor. He handed it to his brother who raised his eyebrows in surprise when he looked at it.

"I thought we agreed on this?" AJ said handing the file back to him.

"Might be our only chance, " Rick said glancing over at Caron who was looking at them curiously.

AJ let out a long sigh and pushed his lips together. "Ok."

"Caroline. We need a favour. " Rick threw the file over to her. She glanced down at it and then looked at her brothers in surprise. "Kendall?"

"We just need you to get Deborah to open up to you," Rick said.

Caron glanced at AJ and then back at Rick. "That's not going to be easy. Not if she doesn't know me and it's like what AJ said...we don't have that kind of time."

"Maybe not," replied AJ. " But she has one thing in common with Kendall. "

"A dead husband and a big life insurance claim," his sister concluded sighing heavily. "And they're both in Georgina's cross hairs."

"Exactamundo! " exclaimed Rick.

"What if I can't pull this off? It's entrapment and that's illegal," said Caron.

"We'll just have to hope that it does," sighed AJ.

\\\\\/

Caron watched through the chain link fence as Deborah play tennis with a friend. She glanced at her watch as she waited for the game to finish.

"I'm going to the spa," Caron heard the other woman say as she picked up her towel and sports bag.

"I need to pick the kids up from school, " replied her friend with a wink.

"Is that what you call it now? " Deborah asked with a knowing laugh.

"Have to keep up the pretense of everything being normal," sighed the other woman. "Otherwise he would suspect."

"I hear you," Deborah replied as she hugged her.

Caron followed Deborah to the country club spa. It was in a large house on the edge of the country club. A long driveway connected the house to the main building with several large trees dotting the rolling landscape. A fountain spewed up water in the garden at front of the house.

"Going in," Caron said over the small mic hidden in her earring.

"Be careful, " AJ replied over the headset.

Caron was greeted by a smiling receptionist as she entered the spa. "Welcome to Shangri La," the receptionist said a little bit too bubbly for her liking. "How can we help you today?"

"I'm not sure, "replied Caron in her southern accent. She looked around and noticed Deborah seated in the waiting room."My husband died. I just need to de-stress before the funeral you know?"

"I'm sorry to hear that," replied the receptionist. "I would recommend the full body massage and sea weed wrap before finishing in the sauna. You just need to fill out this form. There should be someone free in about 15 minutes."

"That sounds divine," replied Caron taking the form from the receptionist and sat down on one of the comfy chairs in the waiting room. She smiled at Deborah who gave her a small smile as she took out her cellphone.

"Excuse me. You look very familiar. Are you on the TV?" Caron said leaning over to speak to the other woman.

"No I'm not," Deborah said in an irritated tone of voice.

"Are you sure? You seem very familiar to me," replied Caron.

" You must be mistaking me for someone else, " Deborah said not looking up from her cellphone but wishing that she would leave her alone. She really wasn't in the mood for talking to people at the moment.

"Perhaps," replied Caron before letting out a big sigh. "My husband died."

Deborah glanced at her. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"He was a lot older but I loved him," sniffed Caron pulling out a wad of tissues and blew her nose loudly. "Are you married?"

Deborah rolled her eyes. "Widowed."

"Oh then you know exactly what I am going through right now!" exclaimed Caron.

Deborah was saved from answering when the receptionist told her that she could head on up to the treatment room. "Nice to meet you," she said to Caron as she made her way up the stairs.

Caron watched as other woman disappeared up the stairs. She took a look over at the receptionist who was talking on the phone with her back to her. She quickly stood up and followed Deborah up to the second floor.

She kept a reasonable distance glancing over her shoulder from time to time to make sure there was no one around. She saw Deborah turning into a room. She peeked through the door and saw that she had placed her belongings in a locker and then left through another exit. Making sure there was still no one around she entered the room and she pulled a lock pick out of her pocket. She had the locker open in a matter of seconds. She searched for Deborah 's cellphone in her bag. Working as fast as she could she opened the back cover but she fumbled with the ti SIM and it fell on the ground. She didn't see where it landed.

"Dammit," she muttered as she got on her hands and knees to search for it.

"Is there anything wrong?" AJ asked over the headset.

"No. Everything 's fine," she replied noticing that the chip had gone under the lockers. She reached for it but her hand was too big to fit in the gap between the floor and the lockers. Sitting back up on her heels she glanced around the room to see what she could use. Then she remembered the bobby pin in her hair. She pulled it out and slid it under the locker and pulled out the SIM card with it. She breathed a sigh of relief as she quickly switched SIM cards. The one she put in was a digital recording device. She could hear voices out in the hallway and quickly left the room bumping into Deborah on the way out.

"Oh I'm sorry," Caron said discreetly putting another bugging device on the other woman's jacket. It was so tiny it wouldn't be seen.

"I just realized I forgot my medication, " Deborah said walking over to the locker. The shrill ring of a cellphone came from her locker and she let out a sigh as she opened it and pulled out her bag. She fished her cellphone out of her bag and answered it with a terse hello.

Caron watched as Deborah paced the room while again whispering in the phone. Deborah glanced back at Caron who smiled and left the room.

"Coming in loud and clear Caron," Rick said over the headset.

"That was really cutting it close, "she replied as she moved quickly down the hallway.

"Good work sis, "AJ said.

/\\\\\

"Anything incriminating on the SIM card? " Rick asked as AJ placed it in the computer. AJ waved his hand to shush his brother as he placed the headset on his head.

"That phone call she took at the country club? Listen to this!"

 _"There were 2 PIs snooping around the other day Steve. Georgina hired them. She's not going to let this go. And if they dig deeper then they're going to find a hell of a lot more."_ Deborah's voice sounded frantic as she spoke.

" _Relax honey. They won't find anything._ "

" _What if they find out about what really happened to Albert? That you slipped drugs into his food?"_

 _"They won't," replied Stephen._

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Rick as they listened to the rest of the conversation. "We have them!"

"I'll call Town and get him to meet us over there," replied AJ picking up his cell phone. The two men stood up to leave and both if them looked back at their sister. "Want to see the bad guys get arrested?" asked AJ.

Her eyes lit up as she got to her feet. "Are you serious?"

Her blond brother smiled as he guided her out the door. "You were much a part of this as we were!"

\\\\\/

Five cop cars where parked outside Deborah's house when the three Simons arrived in the Power Wagon a short time later. They got out of the truck and watched as Deborah and Steve were brought out of the house in hand cuffs. Town waved over to them as he spoke to one of his officers at the door of the house.

"Our officers had to give chase when Harrison jumped the back wall. Good work guys, " Town said as he walked over to them. He smiled at Caron and tapped her shoulder.

"We found out that the other insurance claims were legit and Doris Hapland has been cleared," replied AJ. "It was just Deborah and Steven with the phony insurance claim."

"All in a day's work for Simon and Simon," grinned Town. "Does that mean that you are going to train your baby sister to be a pain in the ass like you two?"

"That doesn't take much training, " laughed Rick dodging a punch in the arm from his sister.

A black Lexus pulled up beside them and AJ smiled when he saw Georgina in the driver seat. "If you'll excuse me I need to brief our client."

The others rolled their eyes and watched as he walked over to her. He leaned against the side of the car as she got out giving him a big smile. "If that's what he calls briefing," mused Caron.

\\\\\\\/

"I'm sorry, " Caron said to her mom and Rick as they sat on the deck beside the canal outside AJ's house. She had just told them that she had been arrested in Minneapolis for being part of a computer hacking group. The guy that she had been living with was the leader of the group. She had been given the choice to give evidence against him and leave Minneapolis or face prison if she didn't give evidence. "I should have told you. "

"I'm glad you did sweetheart," Cecilia said leaning over to give her youngest daughter a hug. Caron smiled at her mom and looked over at Rick who was sitting in the chair with a face like thunder. She saw that his jaw was clenched and his fists were rolled into balls.

"Rick? Aren't you going to say something?"

He shook his head slightly and stood up and turned away from her. She let a deep breath as she got up from her chair and walked over to him.

"I don't believe this Caroline!" He eventually said facing her. " That was stupid, irresponsible... "

"Rick, I made a mistake. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," Caron said. "But it worked out for the best. I'm back home and I've decided what I want to do with my life."

"I am too angry with you to even think about bringing you into the business," he said.

"I knew it was a long shot to begin with, " she replied. "" Which is why I decided to go back to school. San Diego University have a great Criminology and Computer Forensics program that I have been accepted to."

"What?" " Honey , that's great! " Rick and Cecilia spoke at the same time just as AJ came out of his house carrying a beer.

"What's going on?" He asked.

I told them about Minneapolis and that I am going back to school, " she replied smiling at her brother.

His eyebrows raised as he gave his sister a smile. "Good."

"So does that mean you will be no longer working for us? " Rick asked grumpily.

"I don't know. I could work part time I suppose. But the question is do you still want me to work for you?"

Rick and AJ glanced at each other and shrugged. "Make you a deal," Rick said .

"What kind of deal?" She asked.

"Work for us part time. Doing what you have been doing with the social media stuff. Hacking if we need you to but we won't call it that. We'll give it another fancy name. IT consultant maybe..."

"Ok. Sounds like a good deal," she smiled.

"Hang on. I'm not finished. When we need you to and if you're not busy with school we would want you to work undercover, surveillance," continued Rick.

"I thought you said I wasn't ready for that," she replied.

"It's only part time how much trouble can you get into...scratch that...," grinned Rick with a shake of his head.

"The only thing is that you won't be a partner in the business. It will stay mine and Rick's, " AJ said to her.

"I guess I can live with that," she replied .

"Those are the terms," Rick said. "What do you say?"

She looked from her brothers to Cecilia who gave her nod. "I say yes!"

The three embraced each other as their mom walked over to them and they pulled her into the hug.

Author Note

Thanks for reading this. I hope you enjoyed it. I do have more stories in the This isn't the 80's series so keep an eye out.


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